Project Spotlight: Metropolitan Park in Arlington, VA

Earlier this summer, after several years of intense construction, Arlington, Virginia officially welcomed the public and new employees to Metropolitan Park and the adjacent Amazon office building towers. This marked the completion of the first phase of Amazon’s HQ2 at the National Landing where JBC worked with James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) on the building terraces, park, and adjacent streetscape renovations. Read on to find out more about the park, JBC’s involvement in the construction process, and the nuanced design of the soils, subdrainage, and irrigation systems provided by JBC on this exciting project.

While the terraces are for employees only, the park can be enjoyed by all. The public can use the playground and the open lawn, or meander on the park paths while enjoying the diverse tree and planting palette envisioned by JCFO. At an overlook there are views of the park, the at-grade dog runs, and a few of the building terraces.

While visitors will experience the fantastic park and building amenities, there is so much more to the project below the surface. JBC was involved early on in the park’s design phase to help figure out how the new park could safely be layered on top of both existing and new underground parking garages. With a revamped park to be installed above, we worked with the design team to provide a layered soil profile. These different layers considered the drainage as water moved down through the profile, accommodated the structural limits of the garages below and provided an agronomically-viable soil mix to ensure sustainable and healthy plant growth. In addition, the JBC-designed irrigation system utilizing reclaimed building water as its primary water source also helps support the terrace and park landscapes.

Throughout the project’s construction, JBC visited the site to review progress and check in with those working on site. When an issue arose, such as a previously unknown site condition, unclear construction document, or unacceptable installation, the team worked together collaboratively to determine the best path forward. Different areas of the project were continually being worked on simultaneously, making timely clear communication an absolute necessity.

The project’s success was achieved through the efforts of so many groups of people including construction workers, the client, the county, and the design team. We’re happy to say that the end result of years of work and collaboration is already being enjoyed by many as the park plays host to community events, exercise classes, and a weekly farmers market.

The Met Park and Amazon HQ2 project presented plenty of challenging opportunities for innovative design solutions, and the talented team at JCFO provided excellent leadership throughout the project. While JBC worked on just a few pieces of a very large puzzle, we are grateful for our involvement and happy to share our expertise in soil design, subdrainage design, and irrigation design on this outstanding project.